KARACHI: Football players and enthusiasts in Karachi are bracing for top quality action as the first leg of Neymar Jr’s Five makes a grand entry to the biggest city in the country, home to some of the most passionate fans of the beautiful game.

The tournament encapsulates Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr´s roots and style of playing. The speedy format underlines his world renowned abilities as one of the most talented strikers that the game has ever seen coupled with his unquenchable desire for fun.

Karachi is hosting the first leg of the city qualifiers from Saturday (today) through to Tuesday, March 15. The five-a-side action packed game lasts ten minutes with the team that concedes a goal losing a player as a penalty. The process continues till a team loses all its players, the maximum playing time for each team will be 10 minutes.

Some of the most prominent clubs in the city are going to feature in the tournament; players need to be in the 16-25 age group to ensure participation eligibility.

After the Karachi leg of the qualifiers, Lahore and Islamabad will stage the next stage of the city qualifiers from March 18, the twin leg will end on March 21. The winning teams from all three cities will fight out for the sole Pakistani spot for the Neymar Jr’s Five World Finals set to take place in the Brazilian city of Santos, the home town of the football icon Neymar Jr.

A total of 35 countries from as many as six continents are going to stage qualifiers to choose their respective national champions for the World Finals. After a series of memorable events last year including international freestyler Sean Garnier’s Pakistan Tour, Neymar Jr’s Five reinforces Red Bull’s commitment to promote football in Pakistan at local, national and international level.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2016